Shirt collar clamp



Nov. 8, 1938. E. B. JONES SHIRT COLLAR CLAMP Filed Dec. 10, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE SHIRT COLLAR CLAMP Edwin B. Jones, Harrisburg, Pa. Application December 10, 1936, Serial No. 115,258

3 Claims.

My present invention, in its broad aspect, has to do with improvements in devices for clamping and shaping the collar of a shirt, and is designed to lie flush with a table on which the shirt is placed with the front down. More particularly it is my purpose to provide a device of this character which may be set up and sold as an acces-- sory for use with a table provided with an opening in which the clamp is seated; and which is simple in construction, efficient in operation, adjustable, and capable of being heated to not only clamp the shirt collar, but form and shape the same as well.

Briefly stated, my device contemplates the use of a detachable frame which is seated in an opening in the table holding the shirt so that operative parts carried by the frame are substantially flush with the padded top of the table, and the frame is provided with means for detachably 20 mounting the same on the table. The frame carries a padded shaping block which is preferably formed of hard wood, and a slidable clamping block which is provided with heating means and which is movable toward and away from the shaping block to clamp a collar therebetween to simultaneously hold the same and shape it. The actuating means for moving the clamping block has an adjustable actuating link or screw engaged by an actuating lever so that 30 when a shirt is placed on the table front down with the collar between the shaping block and clamping block the lever may be quickly thrown to bring the blocks together to hold and shape a collar. Either steam or electricity may be used in the clamping block to heat the same, and the frame is preferably formed as a one-piece casting.

It will be seen that my device in its entirety is therefore formed of but six principal parts (1) the one-piece frame (2) the shaping block (3) the clamping block (4) the bracket or holder for the clamping block (5) the actuating lever, and (6) the adjustable connecting link between the clamping block and lever. It will be understood that the clamping block is a unit of which the heater or heating element is a part. My invention therefore has no fragile or intricate parts which are liable to get out of order and it may be manufactured and sold at relatively small cost.

While in the foregoing I have briefly set out some of the major advantages of my invention, it will be understood that other objects and advantages will be apparent as the detailed description proceeds, but it is emphasized that interpretation of the scope of my invention should only be conclusive when made in the light of the claims forming a part of this invention, and that changes in form, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be made provided such changes fall within the purview of such claims.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated a preferred form of my invention;-

Figure l is a side elevation of my table showing the clamp thereon, and a shirt being shown in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of my table showing the clamp and a shirt shown in dotted lines and engaged by the clamp;

Figure 3 is a side elevation device;

Figure 4 is a detail of my adjustable connecting link;

Figure 5 is an end view of my adjusting link taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a top plan View of my clamping device;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the frame of my clamping, device with the operating parts removed; I

of my clamping Figure 8 is a side elevation of the frame of my clamping device with the operating parts removed;

Figure 9 is a detail of my heater and clamping block;

Figure 10 is a detail of my shaping block, and

Figure 11 is a detail of the bracket or holder.

In the drawings wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like or similar parts throughout the several views;-

The numeral l designates my table which has a padded top 2 formed with anelongated opening shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 and designated 3.

My clamping device is formed with a one-piece casting 4 constituting the frame and which has a flanged under part 5 seatable within the opening 3. The operating parts of my clamping device (all except the actuating handle hereinafter referred to) are flush or below the surface of the table. The frame 4 has an elongated body it and opposed lateral arms 1 through which attaching screws or bolts are engaged to hold the frame on the table. Other details of the frame will be described in conjunction with the operating parts carried thereby.

Adjacent one end of the frame is my shaping block 8 which is preferably formed of hard wood and has an arcuate face 9 which is suitably padded as at IE and a flat back face I! which is seated against the upstanding lug l2 on the frame; the block has an opening l3 through which a pin I4 on the frame is engaged to hold the shaping block in position thereon. Attached as at l5 midway the length of the frame is an inverted U-shaped bracket l6 within which is slidably mounted my combined heater and. clamping block I! which has pipe connections l8 and l8a to a source of steam supply in which case the interior of the heater is provided with heating coils, or if an electrical resistance unit (not shown) is used in the heater there is a connection to a source of electrical current supply.

The frame has slots |8b in the bottom to permit movement of the steam (or electrical) connections l8 and [8a with the movement of the block I! and the upper face of the body of the frame may have slightly raised guide ribs for the block I! if desired. Mounted between upstanding bosses IS on the opposite end of the frame is a pivotedbell-crank lever 20, the longer arm 2| constituting the upstanding operating handle,

and the short arm 22 having a bifurcated end 23 pivotally connected with one end of a link 24, the other end of which is pivotally connected with the clamping and heating block I1. The link is of the type having oppositely threaded sections engaged in an adjusting nut, such sections being designated 24a and 24b and the nut 240, so that when the arm 2| is operated the block I! will have no lost motion and will move the proper distance toward and away from the shaping block 8; the clamping and heating block has a convex Working face 25 fitting into the concave working face 9 of block 8 so that when a shirt is placed face down on the table I as shown in Figures 1 and 2 the collar will be positioned between the two blocks 8 and I1 and upon manipulation of lever or arm 2| the blocks will be brought together to simultaneously shape and clamp the collar.

From the foregoing it is believed that the operation and construction of my invention will be apparent, but interpretation of the scope of my invention should only be conclusive when made in the light of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A shirt collar clamp, comprising a one piece, fiat frame member formed with an upstanding lug at one end and a pair of spaced, opposed upstanding bosses at the other end, a pin formed on the frame adjacent and spaced from the lug, a pair of arms extending out from the side edges of the frame, a shaping block removably mounted on the pin of the frame engaging the lug, a bell crank lever pivoted between the upstanding bosses, a slidable clamping block mounted for movement on the upper surface of the frame, a connection between one arm of the bell-crank lever and the sliding block, a bracket and guide member attached to the frame between the lug and the bosses and slidably engaging the sliding block ,to guide and support the same, and means extending through the arms of the frame to attach the same to a suitable support.

2. A shirt collar clamp, comprising a frame member formed with a lug at one end, and opposed, spaced upstanding members at the other end, said frame being formed to seat within a conformable depression in a table to lie flush with the top thereof, a shaping block seated against the lug on the frame, attaching means on the frame adjacent and spaced from the lug for removably engaging said shaping block, a bell crank lever pivoted between the opposed, spaced, upstanding members at the other end of the frame, a sliding clamping block mounted for movement on the frame between the bell crank lever and the shaping block, a substantially U-shaped bracket attached to the frame and extending about said sliding block to guide and support the same, an adjustable connection between one arm of the bell crank lever and the sliding block to move the same upon actuation of said lever toward and away from said shaping block, and means for attaching said frame to a table or the like.

3. A shirt collar clamp, comprising a one piece, flat frame member adapted to seat within a conformable depression in a table to lie substantially flush with the top thereof, and said frame being elongated in shape and tapered at one end, and formed with lateral opposed arms, an upstanding lug at the tapered end and a pair of spaced, opposed upstanding bosses at the other end, flanges formed on the under part of the frame to reinforce the same, a pin formed on the frame adjacent to and spaced from the lug, a shaping block removably mounted on the pin and engaging the lug, a bell crank lever pivoted between the upstanding bosses, a clamping block slidably mounted on the frame between the shaping block and bell crank lever, a substantially U-shaped bracket on the frame and slidably engaging the clamping block to guide the same, an adjustable connection between one arm of the bell crank lever and the sliding block to move the same toward and away from the shaping block, means for heating said sliding block, and the frame provided with elongated openings for slidably receiving connections to the heating element, and means extending through the arms for attaching the frame to a table or the like.

EDWIN B. JONES. 

